Checklist for job transfer & office move

01-23-2008, 10:59 AM

My org has been bought by a new company, and I'll be transferring along to the new company. I work remotely, and will also be doing an office move (including locating & leasing a new office space for myself) at the same time.

Does anyone have any lists or checklists of items to cover when leaving an old job and starting a new position or similar siutations?

I did something somewhat similar -- moving across the country with my husband for his new job, and moving my office (virtual backoffice support for a consulting firm) with us. Because I'm hoping to never do THAT again, I didn't keep my lists, but I brainstormed a lot, and did mindmapping and used JOTT more than ever (www.jott.com) for ubiquitous capture. ANY thought I had related to the move or setting up the new office (banking, PO Box, internet, etc) got captured, and i'd do frequent mind-maps of each major area to trigger things I might be overlooking (and to give me a place to park all the other, random ideas I'd had about things to be done).

The dust is starting to settle, and thanks to GTD things went well. It was still stressful, but much less than it would have been in pre-GTD days.

* Things immediately needed in location B. Set up phone lines and Internet service, set up utilities, etc. Also business continuity stuff like notifying my clients of my new address.

* Longer term requirements for location B. Stuff to do after the dust settles, from buying furniture to finding a new dentist. For your sanity, move everything possible to this list, and treat it as a Someday/Maybe.

Second, delegate like crazy. Take full advantage of any relocation benefits your company offers: a good realtor or move coordinator is worth their weight in gold. Call in every favor you are owed. Hire people for every task that you possibly can. (If budget is an issue, throw money at the more urgent tasks first, then the more difficult tasks.) If you and your significant other find yourselves in different locations, split tasks by location and give the other person a free hand.

Third, when planning move-related downtime, take your best estimate, round up, and double it. My move went as smoothly as I could have hoped, and I was still out of commission for twice as long as I expected. This stuff just takes time. Similarly, make sure you have some free time in location A to say your goodbyes properly, and time in location B to find new special spots. Be as kind as possible to yourself: you'll need and deserve every bit of pampering you can squeeze in.